Portable bulkhead



Jan. 1 9 1926. 1,570,020

' F. E. wELsH PORTABLE BULKHEAD Filed July 20, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,4 frane-)6;

Jan. 19 1926. Y 1,570,020

- F. E. WELSH PORTABLE BULKHEAD Filed July 20 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @fat V u o ,Patented Jan. 19,` 51926.l

UNITED 4STATI-:s lfA'rsN'r Iourlet-t.

Application led July 20,

To all whom/t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. WELSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of E rie and State of New Yorlghave invented a new and useful Im rovement in Portable Bulkheads, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portable bulk heads for use in freight cars, warehouses wand other places for the purpose of`main- Ataining rstacks or piles of crates, boxes or packages'of merchandise or other articles intact. The bulkheads are of particular advantage in freight cars and other conveyances for preventing themerchandise or articles from shifting about or falling, andbe-V ing injured in transit or because of the shocks and motion to which cars and other conveyances are subjected in use.

Portable bulkheads for this purpose heretofore provided are objectionable for one reason or another. For instance, some of' these devices are'inthe na-ture of frames having portions for engaging yvith fixed attaching devices which 'are built in or secured to the floors, roofs or sides of the car,It-hus rendering suchA devices useless except in cars or structures vequipped with the cooperating attaching devices. Other constructions have been provided with levers or parts ada ted to actuate prongs or toothedmembers W iich are forced into the Walls of the c'ar or structure togsecureUt-he bulkhead in place. Both of these'c'onstructions are relatively costly,-

I 1n placing t em in and removing them from,-

andv in addition, the latter ltypefof bulkhead 'i's liable to cause. considerable damage tothe cars, and obvioiisly could 'notwbefexmn ployed with ,metallic car structures now in use.4 Furthermore, the above mentioned types of devices are designed jto engage 'only' with a side or end of the stacks or'piles of goods or commodities so that theyoften become displaced, due toloosening of thefastening means, .and all of these'.` devices 'increase the cost of handling and shipping the4 goods, owin to the labor and time consumed operative positions. Other constructions have been proposed comprising anumber of detached or separate, loose frames or sections, `adapted to Vinterlock with oneanotherwithout fastening devices or attachments. These loose sections, however,are liable to become disengaged from one another'in transit,.and

the separate'sections,when not in `stac .of small lotY shipments lmaa. semi n. 4me.

scattered about and must be gathered up andy assembled in (proper relation each time they are t0 be use One object of the present invention is to provide a bulkhead for the purposes described which is' adapted for usev in protecting .and maintaining merchandise or other.

articles in the desired 4,position in railroad cars, motor tracks and 1n other laces, and

which is truly portable vand sel contained 'y and does not uire any fastening means to kee itin position, and which nevertheless wil4 not slip or shift about in transit when used'in a moving conveyance.

Other objects are to 'provide a ortable bulkhead which can be quickly aced in position, and which is provided with a base adapted to be en aged-beneath a pile or of merchan 'se, and with a folding, upri ht section or part which vis secured to saidase part and is engageable with an end of the stack or pile; also to provide the bulkhead with bracing means for said upright section so arranged that pressure exerted against said section tends to firmly hold the bulkhead in position, and prevents its shifting about onthe floor or surface on which it rests; also to providey a bulkhead of this character having all of its sections' or parts connectedv together and movable relative to each other, theconnections between said f parts being such that the bulkhead may be collapsedl and folded flatwise -so as to occ'upy the minirnum lof space'when" not in use, and wherebythebulkhead can be quick- 1y opened izo-operative position for use; and also to construct aportable bulkhead havadjustable means adapted to be releasabl connected-and adjusted for the" purpose of olding theniovable parts of the bulkhead `i-n operative position, said meansbeing releasable to permit the bulkhead to -be folded. p A, Y' j The' bulkhead constructionsk heretofore provided have been formed to extend substantially across theA cars or structures from `011e wall to another. It is often necessary .or desirable, however, to arra-n e the articles or goodsin thel cars so as' to eave n aisle orv paageiextending from the middle to an end"of a car so las to' tions during transit.

are' to provide -a portable bulkhead whi'chjs rmit the-handling` or different destina. A

' vthe section 11. f The sectionslO, 11 and 412 are preferably proportioned and adapted to meet the above mentioned requirements, whereby the bulkheads may be used singly orlin pairs, as for example with one pair for each end of a car with the upright section of each bulkhead disposed transversely of the car adjacent one side wall with a space between them so that the goods or articles may be arranged back of the bulkheads in separate stacks with an aisle or passage between the bulkheads and the goods; also to construct the bulklieads so that when arranged as above outlined, the space between said upright sections thereof may be bridged or closed to provide a structure extending all the way across the car to maintain in position a single stack or pile of goods substantially filling an end of a car; and to provide simple and inexpensive means for bridging the gap between such a pair of bulkheads and which may be readily attached to or detached from the bulkheads; and also to improve and simplify the construction of portable bulkheads in the other respects hereinafter `specified and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, transverse, sectional elevation of a railroad car showing therein two of the portable bulkheads embodying my invention, said bulkheads being spaced apart so as to leave an aisle or space between them.

Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1 showing one ofthe bulkheads in operative relation to a stack of merchandise.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing parts extending between and cooperating with a pair of spaced, transverselyalined bulkheads to bridge or close the space between the bulkheads, in accordance with this invention. Y

Fig. l is a side elevation of one of the bulkheads in open or operative position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view thereof, collapsed or folded.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the bulkhead in open or operative position.

The bulkhead of the present invention comprises a flat base section or member 10,

a folding section or frame 11 hinged at one end to the base section 10 so as to swing toward and from the same, and a bracing section or member 12 hinged to the folding section 11 so as to be capable of swinging into angular relation therewith. By hinging the section 11 to the sectionl 10, and the section 12 to the section 11, as shown, these sections may be folded, or collapsed latwiseone on another as shown in Fig. 5, or may be opened up, with the folding section 11 extending upwardly from the section 10, and the bracing member 12 extending downwardly away therefrom with its'ree enden'gaging apart on the base section 10 'tov brace and support constructed of slats or pieces of wood so as to form open frames. shown in the drawings, the section 10 comprises two opposite, parallel, longitudinal side bars 15 extending fromend to end thereof, and end and intermediate cross `slats 16 and 17 which are rigidly connected to the side bars 15 in any suitable manner, as for example by bolts 18. If desired, an inter mediate longitudinal bar 19 may be provided. The folding section 11 comprises opposite, parallel, longitudinal side bars formed of pairs of spaced, superposed slats 20. and spaced cross bars or slats 21 preferably disposcd between and rigidly secured to the bars 2O and extending from one of the side members to the other. An intermediate longitudinal bar 22 is also preferably provided which extends midway between the side bars from end to end of the section 11 and is secured to the cross bars 21. The bracing member 12 shown comprises a pair of parallel side bars 26, and a cross bar QT rigidly secured to the bars 26, preferably between their ends. The upper ends of the side bars Q6 of the brace are connected, as by hinges 28 to the side bars of the folding section 11, so that when the sections are in open position, shown in Fig. 4, the brace is capable of extending downwardly away from the section with the lower, free ends of the bars 26 bearing on the upper face of the section 10. The base section 10 is provided with a transverse bar or abutment 31, which forms a stop against which the free ends of the brace may abut, so that the brace may be held firmly in place, and be prevented from slipping outwardly due to pressure exerted on the brace through the upright sectionv 11. Any other suitable form of stOp may, however, be provided to prevent outward movements of the brace 12. Adjustable securing means are preferably rovided for securing the sections of the bul head in their open or operative relation so as to pre vent the bulkhead from collapsing when it is moved from one position to another or when the piled articles are removed from against the upright member. Preferably a chain 32, or other flexible member is used and is fastened at one end at 33 to the section 11, and is provided at its free end with a hook 34. By passing the free end of the chain through a ring 35, secured to the stop bar 31 the chain may be drawn taut and the hook 34 secured in a link of the chain, thus preventing the sections 11 `and 12 from swinging on their pivots and collapsin The base 10 .of the bulkhead is amiga ted to extend beneath and be held down y a part of a stack or pile of goods, while the vfolding section 11 thereof engages against an nd or side of the stack. This is accomplished, in the construction shown byhinging the section 11 to the section 10 between For instance, as

fill

the ends thereof as by the hinges 38, so that when the section 11 is moved to an upright position, see Fig. 4, the base section 10- e'xtends horizontally to opposite sides of the upright ,section 1 Figs. 1 and .2 illustrate the manner 1n' ywhich the'bulkhead is employed, A repreright section 11 extending substantially of the sta-'ck continued until the space be,

perpendicular to the side Wall, as shown,

with its unobstructed face towards the boxes A. A part of the shipment of goods is nowr piled upon that portion of the base section` of the bulkhead which extends toward the adjacent end of the car, and the formation tween the end of the car and rthe rear face of the upright section 11 is substantially filled,

so that the boxes or goods not only bear against the section 11, but rest on a part of i the base as well. Consequently, pressures exerted against the section 11 by the goods and tending to shift or tip the bulkhead are resisted bythe weight of the goods resting i on the base section, as well als by the bracing section 12. Moreover` by means of the construction described, the outward pressures exerted on the upright section of the blkhead are transformed into downward pressures through the brace 12 and the stop member 31 and tend to press the outer end of the bulkhead more firmlyy on the supporting surfaces and the pressure on the section 11 is further resisted by the weight of the goods resting on the base section. The bolts 18 extending below the bottom face of the section 10, have a tendency to' firmly grip the surface on which the bulkhead rests and acts to prevent the-bulkhead from slip-` Plng- One of the important advantages of the bulkhead described and shown in the drawings is its adaptation vfor use in express and mail cars where packages or oods must be taken on and off intransit. n such cases,

.I an aisle or space must be provided to permit the passage of the attendants from the centertothe ends of the car. Where such requirements are necessar two of the bulkheads may be arran ed as shown in Fig. 1) at opposite Sides o vthe ear in s aced relation. sovthat the goods may be 1l`ed in two 1 separate 4stacks back of the bul cada, thus leaving an aisle or passage from the center to the end of the car.l

If, however, it is necessa ,or desirable -for the entire end or ends o the v car to be l Eiieafor fined w'itagds, this may beauney arranging a pair of the bulkheads sideV by side in spaced' relation with their upy right sectins in the same verticalplane and providing means, 1n accordance with this invention, for bridging or closing the space between said upright sections 11. The means shown forthis purpose comprise a plurality o f detachable'slat-s or horizontal rails 45, see Fig. 3, which are slipped endwise into place between the spaced slats 20 of the side bars of the sections 11 .and rest n the horizontal cross rails`21 thereof. Registering holes are preferably formed in the uprightl slats 20 and in the detachable bars 45 for the reception of suitable detachable securing devices or pinsl 46 adapted to prevent endwise movement and unintentional displacement of the cross rails 45. Any other suitable,` quick, detachable securing devices may, however, be provided for the detach- "able bars bridging the gap between the spaced bulkheads.

lThe chain '32, in addition to its use for the lpurpose described, may also be employed for mamtaining'the bulkhead collapsed or folded, so that it will not accidentally open up, by passing the chain around the adjacent transverse slats of the sections 10, and 11 and the brace 12 and ,securing the hook in one'of the links, as shown in Fig. 5.

I claim as m invention:

1. In a portable bulkhead of the character described, the combination of a base section,

afolding section disposed transversely. thereof and ada ted to extend upwardly) therefrom, said olding section lbeing movably connected at its lower end to said base section, and a bracing member which is movably connected at one end to one of said sect-ionsand is adapted to extend at an' angle therefrom with its free end releasably engaging said other section to brace said upright section.

2. In, a portable bulkhead of thechar'act'er described, the combination of a basesection, afolding section disposed transversely therefof and adapted to extend upwardly therefrom, said folding -section ein movably connected at its lower end to saiv lbase section, and a bracing member which is movably connected at one end to one of said sections and'is adapted to extend at an angle therefrom, and an abutment on said other section against which the free end ,of said bracing member is vada ted to bear to prevent movement of said bracing member when 'pressure is exerted against said upright section.'v Y

3. In a Iportable bulkhead of theA character described, the combination of a base section, a folding section disposed transversely thereof and adapted to extend '.u wardly therefrom, saidl folding section eing movably- 'conaectedat 'its lower end to said baseA Seotion, a bracing member which is movably connected at one end to one of said sections and is adapted to extend at an angle therefrom with its free end releasably en aging said other section to brace said uprig 1t Section, and releasable means for preventin the unintentional disengagement of sai bracing member from said other section.

4. In a portable bulkhead of the character described, the combination of a base section, a folding section disposed transversely thereof and ada ted to extend upwardly therefrom, said olding section being movably connected at its lower end to said base section, a bracing member which is movably connected at one end to one of said sections and is adapted to extend at an angle therefrom with its free end releasably engaging said other section to brace said upright section, and a flexible member secured to one of said sections and adapted to be adjustably connected to said other section so as to be drawn taut to hold said bracing member firmly in bracing position.

5. In a portable bulkhead of the character described, the combination of a base section, a folding section disposed transversely thereof and adapted to extend upwardl therefrom, a connection between said foldying section and said base section for permit-- section and said upright' section, and be! tween said bracing member and one of said sections being constructed to permit said sections and said member to be folded flatwise one upon another, when said exible member is disconnected.

6. In a portable bulkhead of the character described, the combination of a base section, a transverse article engaging section adapted to extend upwardly therefrom, a bracing section extending angularly from said article engaging section, said base section havinfr an inner portion projectingbeyoud one si e of said article engaging section and adapted to extend beneath and engage the articles, and an outer Vportion projecting beyond the opposite side of said article engaging section and onwhich said bracing section 1s adapted to hear, whereby outward pressures exerted by the articles against said article engaging section are converted into downward ressures through said bracin section to orce the outer portion of sai base section irmly against the surface on which the bulkhead rests.

7. In a portable bulkhead adapted to maintain a stack of articles in position, the combination of an upright section engageable with an upright ace of the stack, a base section to which said upright section is connected and which is adapted to rest on a supporting surface, and `having a portion extending beneath and engaging articles in said stack, and a bracing section engaging with and extending between said other sections.

8. In a portable bulkhead Aadapted to maintain a stack of articles in position, the

combination of an upright section engageable with an upright face of the stack, a. base section to which said upri ht section is connected and which is adapt to rest on `a Sup' orting surface, and havinga portion extending beneath and engaging articles in said'stack, a bracing section engaging with and extending between said other sections, and t. flexible and adjustable member for releasably securing and maintaining said sections in operative relation.

FREDERICK E. WELSH. 

